Philippines is number 1 among SEA countries with COVID-19 cases nearing 120K
We really have to hope that our government had made the right decision to put Metro Manila and other areas under MECQ. As of August 7, Philippines reached a total of 119,460 COVID-19 cases so our country now surpassed Indonesia’s tally of 118, 753 infections. How did that happen?
Enhanced testing might be the cause of this increase in case tally
DOH pointed out that the Philippines has also tested “a significantly higher percentage (of the population) compared to Indonesia. It explained, “This is significantly higher than Indonesia which has tested a total of around 908,000 as of August 4.”
The Philippines has been posting record-high numbers in terms of new COVID-19 cases since late July. This trend began when the government eased quarantine measures and gradually opened the economy. It was Tuesday this week that DOH reported additional COVID-19 cases of 6,352. The majority of the additional cases came from the National Capital Region (2,041), followed by Laguna (222), Cebu province (221), Cavite (100), and Rizal (81).
As the cases continued to surge, health professionals and front-liners called for a “timeout” to revert stricter measures. President Rodrigo Duterte partially granted their plea while the Department of Health has promised to work with them for solutions. Meanwhile, researchers from the University of the Philippines and the University of Santo Tomas predict that cases may reach 150,000 by the end of August.
Possibility of Avigan drug testing here
For some good news, The Department of Health (DOH) said they are working to finalize the legal documents for Avigan drug testing. DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire explained that the August 10 start of clinical trials is not yet sure. She added, “Yung una sinabi namin August 10 tayo mag-start pero hindi pa kasi namin, hindi pa napa-finalize ‘yung legal documents natin so we just want to inform everybody kapag talagang final na, kung talagang mag-uumpisa na tayo. But it’s going to happen soon.”
Avigan is the brand name of the drug favipiravir. It was developed by what is now known as Fujifilm Toyama Chemical and approved for use in Japan in 2014. Vergeire said Avigan does not need the approval of the FDA as it already passed the requirements in Japan.
Let’s hope that the quarantine and the upcoming drug testing is both a success. Do you guys agree?
